The Art of Reading
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The Art of Reading
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Narrated by:
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Timothy Spurgin
About this listen
Artful reading - the way we read novels and short stories - is less about reading for specific information and more about reading to revel in the literary experience. Learning the skills and techniques of artful reading can improve your life in many ways, whether you're a fiction reader, an aspiring writer, a book club member, or a student.
And the best part: These skills are not difficult or unwieldy; rather, they are well within your reach. This entertaining, 24-lecture course gives you a veritable toolbox of knowledge and methods to approach even the most daunting reading experience with increased confidence.
You'll learn the definitions and characteristics of terms such as authorship, master plot, and genre. While some of these nuts-and-bolts concepts may be familiar to you, Professor Spurgin examines them from multiple angles, revealing hidden meanings that can escape even experienced readers.
Practical tips and techniques will maximize your effectiveness as an artful reader. You'll see why holding an initial reading session will acquaint you with the author's writing style and the characters, making the book easy to return to even if you take a few days off.
You'll also discover the benefits of "pre-reading" - exploring a book's organization and structure - and how to constantly ask questions to become more deeply involved with the characters and their stories.
Throughout the course, a host of literary "case studies" will refine and elaborate on the concepts of artful reading. Literary examples show how you can finally approach works that, in the past, might have seemed intimidating - making your future reading experiences both more engaging and more enlightening.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.
©2009 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2009 The Great CoursesWhat listeners say about The Art of Reading
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Annie B
- 26-06-2017
A Great Guide for Fiction Writers
Any additional comments?
Professor Spurgin knows his stuff and while the Art of Reading will be useful to lovers of books, it tends to be more of a guide to writing fiction. This lecture series will be valuable to beginning writers and more experienced ones too. If anything, it teaches you how to read like a writer--and the most important thing a writer should do is read!
Overall, the narration is good, and well paced, but occasionally Prof Spurgin seems to slip into some weird phrasing, a kind of HALTING. WAY. OF. SPEAKING. This mostly happens when he's reading a passage from a book or if he's trying to sound more enthusiastic about something. It reminds me of the Rabbi on Seinfeld. Not the end of the world though, but now that I've mentioned it I bet you won't be able to ignore it! Ha.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Wilko
- 10-12-2022
Simply enlightening
Expertly narrated with inspiring content that will change forever my approach to reading and the return I get from it.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Cambell
- 10-09-2016
Great overview for students
Whether you are a student at school or a lifelong learner, this series will help you to get the most from the fiction you are reading, and break it down for analysis, as well as enjoyment. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this course.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- mitch
- 08-02-2015
I used it as a guide for a reading journey
Pretty action packed near the end and full of great examples of how to delve into the art of reading. There are countless references to books worth reading and why. Most importantly it encourages you to get to the how of deep reading.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- James
- 01-01-2021
Interesting subject
It's a shame this lecturer is so condescending. "Don't you think I'm so wonderful?" is what I hear beneath every rhetorical flourish.
But there's enough stuff in here to make it an interesting listen.
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1 person found this helpful